Wrecked
by Solarksis
Summary: "You fall in love with the most unexpected person at the most unexpected time." Even if you are stranded on an island. But what if that person is an emotionless hollow shell? Can you learn to love? Or shall learning to love itself be your worst enemy? That only time shall tell. AU. SaiIno. Includes parts of Naruhina, Shikatema, Nejiten, Sasusaku.
1. The Start

Life for him was dull and empty.

She was fun and forever twenty.

He was lost, trying to find himself.

She was there, smiling to herself.

He was used to the world's shunning.

But with her he found himself blushing.

Funny thing; he never knew what blushing was

And he was surprised when he found the cause.

He was an empty canvass, a blank slate,

And when she decided to paint on him

He decided that maybe it was fate.

But no. There was something else in store.

The mystery that was her, there had to be more.

A story was about to unfold,

Of two shattered hearts parched of love

Of stranded souls, and white-lies

Of flower and ink, hope and nothing.

And of course, they knew that not all endings were good.

Oh yes, a story was about to unfold….

A story unlike any other.

The story of the flower and the Root.

The story of stranded love.

The story that was Sai and Ino.

 **AUTHOR's NOTE:** Hey guys! This was just the beginning. I'm going to release the first chapter quite soon. Also, do not judge this by its summary. I've got a lot of twists and turns planned on ahead. So, stay tuned. I would love to have a few reviews! I shall post the chapter by this week.


	2. Abstract beauty

**He had no life, no hopes as such  
Oh, how he would love to at least feel this much  
Was he just a hollow shell?  
Now, even he couldn't tell.  
Cut off from society, no friends, no dreams.  
It's too soon to tell what lies ahead  
Let us start this story for now,  
Without any fear, without any dread.**

Was the world always this…. colourless? Was he always this emotionless? Would he ever find someone who would love him for who he was, like he'd read of in his books? Wait, why was he even thinking of finding love? He never did before? And if he had to start then why now, at the start of his freshman year?

He had tons of questions but answers to none. He was useless not to mention emotionless and stale; nothing but a burden upon the whole country or maybe, the whole world. Since when had he started thinking so low of himself?

Oh! Yeah, since then of course.

He sighed and got up - no use thinking about such things at 6:00 in the morning, better get ready and wake ugly...umm...Sakura and dick…uh…no, whisker-face up he thought. Damn! It was really hard not to call his roommates by the innovative nicknames he had come with for them.

When he first called them that - none of them had wanted to share the dorm together but they just had to. Naruto even considered going and living on the street than with his hormonal pink-haired friend and mannequin man - Sakura had gotten so that she threw him out of the window of their dorm which was on the fourth floor. Naruto had just whined and protested against the size of his…. which earned him the same fate as Sai. Luckily, they only broke an arm and a leg each. They landed on some thorny bushes. Ouch. He understood later what he did wrong, you never tell a girl the truth about her looks - he read in a book –tell them the exact opposite.

He gets up, brushes his teeth, takes a shower (he always takes a shower twice a day. It always made him feel clean on the outside at least, he says. It also, made him smell better than Naruto) wears his clothes-the usual consisting of black cargo pants and a black t-shirt-and then puts on his glasses- which make him look like a cute little nerd-as Sakura had told him.

Sai was well aware of the fact that he was quite good-looking, not to be boastful but he knew that if he were without his glasses he would have his own fangirl club.

His porcelain face and his vampire-like pale complexion combined with his silky black hair and deep coal-coloured eyes and his well-shaped body - he didn't have full- fledged abs or clearly defined muscles but he was pretty lean and muscular- all added to his charm. That and his sharp tongue, which always spoke the bitter truth.

He went out of his room and knocked on his pink-haired roommate's door first. A soft groan could be heard from inside as he heard footsteps make their way to the door. The door opened and the daily morning ritual began.

"Sai!", a low growl could be heard coming from the messy pink-haired beast whose eyes were half-closed, "It's only six right now. I don't know which planet you're from but go back to it and stop destroying us. She was now at the edge of yelling and Sai knew that. "You have exactly six seconds to explain yourself and I am counting. One. Two. Three…"

Oh, no he'd better hurry up. "You see today is the first day of freshman year and I thought that we should go and have an early breakfast before our classes…."

"Time's up. Now do you want a nice uppercut or a swift kick in the gut…. Wait, today's…. the first day? Shit! I knew I shouldn't have binge-watched a whole season of Empire! Shit! I've got my first lecture at..." She swiftly reaches for her binder and pulls out her schedule.

Sometimes Sakura's speed did manage to astonish him. Sakura was indeed tiny and petite. However, if you went on her tiny frame you would be seriously underestimating the pre-med girl. Sakura had trained in martial arts and self- defence for about three years, and her punches could send you flying if you were not careful. She was also quite short-tempered with a strong sense of justice. The last part always sounded funny to Naruto when Sakura mentioned it but Sai-being the hollow being that he was-couldn't really understand why.

"My first human anatomy lecture is at 7:00. Ok then. Go wake that butthead now and be ready in exactly half-an hour. Oh! and charge my laptop too, It's dead. See ya!", she sounded a little rushed. Sai had once read in a book that girls often took over an hour to get ready and staying with Sakura proved that point. Though Sakura unlike the other girls was not beauty conscious, she was still a girl.

With Sakura woken up the tough part began. Wake up the 'butthead' as she told. Sai went and stood in front of Naruto's small orange door-he had insisted that the door and his walls be painted his and his Hyuuga girlfriend's favourite colour. He knocked hard on the door. No response. What was the secret technique that ugly taught him? Oh, yes, he remembered.

He cleared his throat and began "dick. NO. Naruto! Hinata is here with a big bowl of ramen."

After he shouted this out, he waited for some time and with his best imitation of the shy Hyuuga girl he began "N-Naruto-kun. Ohaiyo." Job done.

Truth be told, Naruto was still a child at heart. Of course, over the years he had matured quite a bit, but he was still as dense and stupid as ever. He was lean-built with a tanned complexion and had short, spikey blonde hair. After getting together with his girlfriend Hinata about a year ago, he wanted to get rid of his messy blonde hair. The new look did suit him though. He was not the smartest in the lot but he was good at sports and at being…...Naruto.

Naruto has his way with people. Even though he's stubborn, arrogant and childish; he's always able to cheer people up wherever he goes. The aura he gives off was happy, bright and everything right. The complete opposite of him. Naruto had helped him overcome his social fears and anxieties back in high school. Thanks to the help and support he received from Naruto, Sakura and his teacher Yamato, Sai was able to improve a bit.

Naruto was the complete opposite of Sai. Both Sakura and Naruto were. They expressed their emotions so vividly. They were cheerful, happy, confident, not to mention good with people.

All of a sudden, the door flew open and out came a surprised Naruto. Luckily Sai was able to move away from it in time.

"Where's Hina-Chan?" asked the blonde. "Is she really here? She told me that she would wait for me at the dining area for breakfast." A wide goofy grin broke onto the 20-year old's face. "She just can't stay without seeing me huh? Tell her I'll be right there. Just let me get ready."

And with that the orange door was slammed shut. Sai could never understand emotions that well to begin with but that changed in high school.

Sai had gone to the same high school as Sakura and Naruto. He remembered, in high school they had a massive group of friends including a guy who looked like him named Sasuke. Sakura liked him a lot. However, after graduating he mysteriously disappeared. Sai had heard that Sasuke had gotten involved with the Akatsuki-a big gang in the criminal underworld a few years back. Something to do with his brother, but Sai didn't want to pry. After the ceremony, Sasuke met with Sakura, and no one knows anything other than that.

Sakura refused to speak to anyone except Naruto about what he said. He was a part of their team. Those three were good friends. Not like him, thankfully-socially inept. Sai always thought of himself as a replacement for Sasuke.

He was never close to Naruto and Sakura, and he never could be either. The society had to function. So, Sai had to remain hidden.

Though he transferred in at the last year and didn't talk to almost anyone but Sakura, Naruto and occasionally Sasuke. Sai found solace in art. When the world shut him out, he always had his charcoal, paints and his canvas to return to. He was a remarkable artist. He had heard that many times from people.

But they never could understand the depth of his art. No one. Not even his brother. His past would forever haunt him. The world would forever shun him. This act would forever go on.  
He would be forever empty.

Some people were like flowers, Sakura had once told him. They always turn towards the Sun and face its heat head on. They would endure through the seasons as tiny little buds and once the season was right, they would bloom. They would bloom and give hope to the others. They would look up to the skies and urge the others to look up to the skies to.

He had asked her why they would do that. Why would you want to give someone you barely knew something like hope? Its silly.

She just shrugged in reply and said "I have to ask my friend that, she's the one who told me this. But if you ask me I think it's because of these flowers that the little buds see hope. Just think, if there were no flowers do you think the buds would have any hope? Would they ever want to endure and bloom? People are just like that, she said. If you give them hope and support, they can also bloom and face the Sun head on. Look forward in life and instead of seeing the world at its worst, see it at its best."

The day she told him this he thought about it a lot. No. He didn't find much logic in what Sakura told, but then again, she didn't even understand what she was saying. Typical Sakura. If there was one thing she hated, it was not being able to provide an answer to something She felt dumb if she didn't. She just had to provide an answer, even if it was ridiculous and made no sense, like the one she gave in response to Sai's question. He had to find the answer someday, and also meet this wise friend of Sakura.

Maybe if he could find this person, they could answer his biggest question- What was Sai?

The door burst open and out stepped a slightly refreshed and dressed Sakura carrying a backpack. Naruto too stepped out.

"Hey! Where's Hinata?" Sakura turned towards Sai and mouthed- I see. Her short bubble gum hair was pulled back by a hairband and her bangs were falling in front of her face. She was wearing a green shirt and brown pants. The pants – Sai noticed – were too big for her. But then again, they were Sasuke's pants. A parting gift she had told him. Sounded fishy to him then, sounds fishy to him now.

Sakura replied to Naruto, "You see she got tired of waiting around for you and decided to meet you for breakfast like you guys originally planned."

"Oh! Ok then. Let's go!" the blonde yelled.

Just as Sai was about to leave Sakura whispered to him, "nice job there. Glad, you used the technique." Sai gave his fake smile in response and walked out.

The dining area was not that crowded during the early morning hours. Just a few students here and there. Naruto spotted Hinata coming to the place with two random people. A guy with spikey brown and sharp teeth and another who was wearing sunglasses in this cloudy weather. He quickly ran over to her and grabbed her in for a bear hug. Sai could have sworn that the girl was going to die of suffocation. The orange-hoodie clad blonde released her quite soon though.

The next five minutes were spent introducing the people with Hinata. Kiba was the spikey haired boy who had two large fang-like red marks tattooed on his cheeks. He said that every person in the Inuzuka family had them. Aburame Shino was a quite one who didn't speak much and wore sunglasses even when there was no sun out. Weird people. Sai however found them friendly enough.

Kiba and Naruto become good friends almost immediately-given their similar natures. Shino was the quiet one-just like Sai. Though Sai did pass remarks every now and then. Sakura and Hinata just talked about random stuff. Both of them were really good friends. Hinata had transferred to the high school just a while before Sai, but was still quite social despite her quiet and shy demeanour. She was confident of her abilities. She went to the literary school. Her lavender eyes were what once made people too scared to even approach her. Naruto changed that though. And they found love. Whatever love is.

Breakfast was short and uneventful. For him it was at least. Naruto and Kiba argued about something while Shino tried to stop them. Hinata and Sakura talked about their classes-they were apparently having a few lectures together, as Hinata had taken science minors. Sai just had his breakfast. His first lecture was at 11:00, so he was the only one who didn't have a morning lecture. Good.

The others bid him goodbye and walked away to wherever they had to go. He sat at the table for a while, doing what he loved to do on days like this- people-watching.

Many would say that staring at people is the same as invading their private space, but Sai would say otherwise. People-watching was an extremely time consuming hobby. Quite often Sai would just watch a person for about five minutes, and if the person did nothing interesting (or said something interesting) or entertaining enough, he would turn his gaze towards someone else.

It was also quite risky. If you happened to be staring at somebody and that person caught you staring at them, they would either walk away, glare at you or raise their eyebrows at you and mouth 'what?' – if you weren't hot and popular, that is. Others would often take the more aggressive approach-these people were often of the opposite sex.

The Fire Leaf University was massive. It was supposed to be one of the most renowned universities in fire country-it's dorms though were another story. The university's various other facilities included four massive libraries in each corner and several resource centres spread over the campus. It looked like a university, that's all Sai could say. Patches of green here and there, different schools and colleges scattered around the vast campus. The usual. According to the map of the university Sai got; his first lecture as a fine arts major would be in the fine arts building (Obviously) in the south end of the campus- about a good three to five minutes from here depending upon his mood.

He got up and walked out of the hall. The grounds had started to fill up. Students were rushing from one place to another, obviously late and in a hurry. But he paid no heed to them. His eyes were now automatically searching for a relatively quiet place to sit and sketch before his lecture began. There! He found one. A small patch of grass in the corner of the campus stood out to him. He made his way towards the lone tree standing in the corner, his backpack containing his sketchbook and art supplies dangling casually from his shoulder. He was able to get there unscathed, luckily. The rush was only getting worse. The inside of the campus was now beginning to look like the crowded streets of Tokyo- with students banging into each other every now and then muttering a small sorry before moving on to their next victim.

Sai was glad to be away from the midst of the rush. He really disliked crowded places. They reminded him of things he wanted to forget.

He set down his bag onto the overgrown grass and sat down on it himself. He leaned against the smooth and cold trunk of the oak tree and taking out his sketchbook, began sketching the campus.

The corner Sai had chosen was isolated and empty. No one even came near it, even though the dining hall and cafeteria were just around the corner. And judging from the overgrown vegetation in the place, it seemed that the authorities often forgot about the place too.

How could these people not notice the only oak tree in the entire campus? No, they did notice this place of course. They just don't go to it. It's probably too dark or lonely for them. After all, who in their right happy, cheerful and don't-get-your-new-designer-clothes-dirty mind would want to go to such a place? Only him probably. He could relate so much to this place. Cold. Lonely. Alone. Left out. And…

"Wow! You draw really nicely, a fine arts student, right?"

His eyes widened in shock as he quickly turned around and lifted his head-only to meet the glare of the Sun against his glasses. Wait wasn't it cloudy just ten minutes ago? Weather changes so fast in fire country. How the rays manage to penetrate through the dense oak leaves, he does not know. What he does know is that he is yet to see the face of his 'nosy' admirer; but an admirer nevertheless. He squints and finally see the person standing above him. Blank-coal eyes meets a sparkling baby-blue one.

It's a girl. An absolutely stunning beauty that too. Her platinum blonde hair is tied in a high-pony, in such a manner that a carefully done-up bang covers her right eye and almost the entire right half of her face. Her skin is a shade darker than his and her cherry-red lips are parted slightly in awe as she stares over his shoulder at his sketchbook.

It is then that he notices something. She wears no make-up at all, just like his roommate- but unlike his roommate she still looks beautiful. Hot would be the right word. Did he mention that her body is made for the cover of 'vogue'? Not too less and not too much – just right.

Her curves are defined and so is her flat stomach. She's not muscular but good nevertheless. The perfect body that all girls, heck! All guys want. Yet she doesn't show it too much. She's dressed in a pair of white jeans, emphasizing her long legs and a brownish-yellow t-shirt which says, 'If being lazy were a subject, I'd be a PRODIGY'. Did not look like it. Enough about her looks. He can't judge a person by their looks. That's unfair.

So instead he chooses to reply to her question. "Yes, I am a fine art major."

"Aa. So that explains why you draw so well. I don't even think that this campus looks as good as you've done it." She doesn't hesitate at all as every word flows out of her perfect lips. Her voice was sweet and melodious. He could listen to it forever.

"Perhaps." Sai was a man of very few or no words, but some part of him wanted to talk to this angel.

"What brings you to this dark and forgotten part of the campus, may I ask?"

She wets her lip with her tongue and replies. "Well, you see No.1- I actually happen to like dark and creepy places and No.2- I was actually headed towards the dining hall, but then I spotted a person sitting in this dark patch in the corner of the campus and my curiosity got the better of me, so I decided to see what this 'person was doing or should I say sketching.'"

"So, you gave up five minutes of your time to come and see what a person you don't know is drawing?" he asked with a hint of disbelieve in his voice.

"Yep. And by the way I can get to know you, if you let me umm…person-with-glasses-that-are-too-big-for-your-cute-face." Wait. Did she just call him cute? He was not a kid!

"I am Sai, by the way. Not whatever you just called me. And I still don't know who you are, my secret admirer." He smirked a little bit while adding the last part. Weird. How was he so comfortable around this person? Why did he always know what to say? What was she doing to him?

She gave a low chuckle before responding "I'm Yamanaka Ino of Konoha's Yamanaka clan. And no, I am not your 'secret' admirer. I'm just an admirer." She smiled at that. A beautiful smile that would shine in his memory for ages to come. Hmmm…memory…

Oh, shit! He forgot to charge the laptop. Anyways…

She sat down next to him on the overgrown grass, and snatched the sketchbook out of his hands. She then began expertly going through his work. He noticed how carefully she turned each page and avoided touching the sketches as much as she could to prevent them from smudging. She cared.  
"You really are talented, ne?  
Yamanaka Ino- a bright, colourful cosmos. He liked it. That was how he met HER.  
 **A tale as old as time**

… **...**

 **AUTHOR's NOTE: Sorry, that was unnecessarily long. I don't actually write that well. What can I say, I'm just a kid? I guess so. I'll make the next chapter fairly shorter and yes…...I shall give you some fluff. It's Ino's chapter next. It's going to be way better so please bear with me.**

 **I love reviews…...SO GIVE me some. See ya!  
**


	3. A Chocolate Cosmos

_AUTHOR'S NOTE- So sorry for the late update! I was shifting into my new house and had a lot of work to is going to be long, so bear with it. Skip a few parts if you want to. A lot of Action in the later half. The first two chapters are just introductory. The real story starts next chapter. They have to get stranded on an island, ya know._

 _ **Those beautiful eyes….  
There was something about them,  
Oh, yes, she knew there was.  
Cause, behind those seemingly beautiful eyes  
Lay secrets, deeper and darker  
Than his ink.**_

They say, that beauty isn't only skin deep. What matters is what lies on the inside. Wise words that society chooses to ignore by making people believe that good-looks is everything. She'd been like that once too. But in life, things happen and views change. Sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse. Back to the 'wise words'.

In her case though, yeah beauty was only skin-deep. On the inside, she was a freaking mess. Not a beautiful one, just an ugly freaking mess. She tried to be the happy, cheerful one, but, how could she be 'that' girl. No. That girl died a long time ago.

Yamanaka Ino, she was always a popular one. The one who could not be seen anywhere without a horde of fanboys on her tail. Confessions and love letters always filling up her locker and her backpack. The one who always has some rumour going around behind her back.

But then again, things happen and views change, But sometimes people do to.

High school for her was a disaster. Leaving behind all her friends was hard. Cutting all ties with them, even harder. But she had to go because of her father's work. Families stick together, right?

Huh! That sounded ironic now.

She had moved from her home town- right here in the Leaf to Kirigakure- rain country, which also had one of the highest crime rates in the world. She experienced that first-hand. Correction- she didn't experience it, she felt it. All the freaking time. The thought of it made her shudder. She had moved on since then, quite a bit. The nightmares had become less frequent. At least that's what she thought.

" _Oh no…please no!", she sobbed. She could see nothing but red in front of her now. A deep, dark and crimson red. "You…no, no this cannot be happening…." She hated herself for sounding so pathetic right now. But she was. She couldn't even do a simple thing right._

 _.  
"Oh! You scared? Don't worry dear, it's gonna be okay. Oh, and it is happening" He smirked. Why would he do that? They trusted him. Worse. She trusted him.  
"I would hate to do this now, but I've got to do it you know? Shame. You were a beauty though." He chuckles humorously. All the hate she felt towards him right now; towards those cold-dark eyes, was far more than she could bear._

 _But she had too, right? She was pathetic after all. All this while, even now with her hair- drenched in red sticking to her face, her weak legs shuddering, and her once lively eyes…now dead. Just like theirs._

 _He moved forward, now only feet away from her. He was real, wasn't he? This wasn't a nightmare. Fuck. She stepped back, only to trip over a stone. She landed on the wet ground with a thud, and for a second everything was still. Until he moved._

 _Run. She had to run. But where to? And how?  
She got up and tried to but failed. She was falling into the darkness. A bottomless pit, with no warmth. And she could hear him. His warmth, she could feel it._

"Excuse me, Miss Yamanaka, but you do not fall asleep in the middle of practice on the bleachers, especially. It is cold out here, you know." That wasn't 'him'. Just another person. Great! People can't even nap in peace? What's the world coming to? Can't they just let her fall into the darkness peacefully? These cheerleading practices…. uh oh.'

Well, the girls owed her one, for wasting a good fifteen minutes of otherwise harsh cheerleading practice. Nice way to end it.

With some effort, she put her palms onto the cold metal surface and lifted herself up. Instantly a shiver ran down her spine. God! It was cold. It was just a month before vacations and it was still pretty cold. Cold enough to wrap yourself in a blanket, with some hot chocolate (extra marshmallows) and watch rom-coms till you were out cold. Correction- out hot. The weather had to make up its mind for once.

She rubbed her eyes, while yawning and finally opened them up. Ughhh! Bad idea. The lights were too intense. She adjusted her eyes to the lights and colours outside. It took her about five seconds to see her red-eyed manager and her team all crowded around her, eyeing her like she had grown a tail. Had she now?

She quickly got up- not before feeling the back of her skirt for a stub of some sort. Luckily, there was none- and came face to face with her manager. She felt drained after all that gruelling practice, and could surely use some sleep and the soup 'he' used to make for her on tiring-shitty days like these. 'Him' why? Oh no. She felt her heart beating faster and her eyes started to feel heavy. Dammit!

 _Come on Ino, snap out of it. It was just a dream. It's okay. You're fine. Breathe. You're in front of people don't freak out. He's gone and so is she. Just get over it._

Oh, great! She was not going to break down in front of her cheerleading squad. What kind of captain would that make her?  
So, she bit her lip, shook her head and decided to speak up and move on. Fainting was not going to help. A lot can change in five years.

"Sorry, Miss Kurenai. I-I was unable to get some sleep last night." It's the truth. She pulled up an all-nighter for her journalism assessment today. She was sure that she had aced it.

 _Just another twenty days to Easter break, then those finals and you can fly again. Wait for it birdie._

For a Yamanaka para-florist, this was nothing. She believed in the unseen after all.

"I see. Do please take care of yourself now Ino. I don't want any of my girls falling out before soccer season starts, which is in exactly two days." She sighs at that. "The best for last girls, like always." And at that, the whole team burst out into a fit of giggles. Kurenai too gave a tiny smile.

Soccer season was the best. The FLU team was one of the best out there. They were surely going to win this time too. And the cheerleaders had to be there when they won. I mean, who the heck was going to miss the legendary afterparties the captain threw? Everyone went to them, it was taboo not to go. So, you went, even if it meant encountering certain people, like your ex.

Kurenai then turned towards the rest of the girls and continued "Alright then, it's already seven and thanks to your captain here….", she pointed at Ino who inturn sheepishly smiled and bowed down to the girls; staring at her with huge grins plastered on their faces. The nightmare called practice was over, and they could only thank their captain for wasting a good thirty minutes of the last session,

"…. we have successfully, or should I say more or less, finished our session for this year. I hope to work with you next year if you plan to stay, which I hope you don't, you horrible lot" she mumbled the last part under her breath. The girls started to protest but Kurenai cleared her throat and continued, silencing the girls.

"Now each of you, remember you shall or might be missed." A few of the girls pouted while Ino just smiled lightly at her manager's comment. She was a sarcastic one.

"But remember the memories you made with your friends and team mates, and stuff like that. Sleep well and do practice those moves you learnt today. I wish you the best for your finals. And captain," all eyes moved to Ino. "don't fall asleep while performing. I shall not come and wake you up at the top of the tower." Funny. Like that would ever happen.

The team started laughing and so did Ino. "Bye girls! See you next year captain." Saying this Kurenai walked away to her car parked just around the corner. Wherever this 'corner' she claimed was.

It was then time for goodbyes. Ino hugged the girls- surprisingly all her juniors. The cranky seniors were not good for the team anyway, as she had learnt last year by having the campus bitch Karin on the squad. A complete drama queen she was.

Ino wasn't close to any of the girls on the cheerleading team. She would occasionally hang out with the, when they were celebrating something. She was not close to them though. Not at all.

She had her own gang which consisted of: her long-lost middle-school best friend Sakura 'forehead' Haruno(a pre-med student in her third year) whom she stumbled upon in the dining hall on the first day of freshman year, Hinata Hyuuga-the lavender wonder and poetic one, Tenten the fury(hopefully Hyuuga)- her senior and a machine geek , Sabaku No Temari of Suna- her senior and crazy hand-fan collector.

Her guy-friends included her roommates Shikamaru(lazy), Choji(fatty-do not call him that!), Naruto(Idiot #1), Kiba(Idiot#2) nope. Not anymore. Shino (the quiet one), and yes Hyuuga Neji(the calm and cool one). That's it. She used to include her childhood crush Sasuke there too, but she grew out of it. He was too dark and emo for her.

She could never love him as deeply as Sakura could. That girl was head over heels for him. Even when he was halfway across the world, without a phone. Like she said, crazy.

These people were pretty much all she had on this entire campus. They were there for her. Over the last few years, they had grown so close to each other, excluding Shika and Cho - since she was with them even as a kid. Their parents were great friends, and now so were they. They knew everything about her (even when it was her time of the month. They would often remind her about it) and she knew everything about them in return.

Of course, she didn't think romantically of them. They were like brothers to her. Their family was her family.

Her girl-friends on the other hand, were fun to hang out with. Temari and Tenten were complete tomboys, so the mall was some place reserved only for 'special' days. Hinata, on the other hand was calm and reserved. She used to be shy during freshman year but had quickly caught on to her 'friends' 'loud and sarcastic nature.

Her crew was interesting enough. Heck, they were a 'public attraction'. Sakura was the moodiest of the lot. The pinkette would lose all sense of reasoning when it came to the things she loved. They all did, but with her it was scary. These people could drive her insane and make her laugh at the same time.

Nevertheless, she loved the girls. The guys were fun too. That was when they weren't arguing about which model was sexier or soccer.

Ino on the other hand was moody too. She was demanding and aggressive at times, but loyal. (as per Shikamaru and dog-breath) She could figure out people easily. At least, that's what she thought till she met someone she could never see through.

Boy, her friends really needed to get their shit together though. They were so dense sometimes. Even the lazy Nara genius, who had an IQ of over 200. Yes, they were dense when it came to love.

Amongst all of these people, at least half of them were in love with each other. They wouldn't accept it though, but it was so freaking obvious. Let's see, according to her a.k.a the Matchmaker the situation is a bit like this- Naruto and Hinata have been dating since the last year of high-school as Sakura told her.

Shikamaru was for one thing not lazy when it came to Temari (not official), Tenten and Neji were a sure thing (not official), and then of course, there was Sasusaku (this was official. For sure).

Oh, how she loved doing this. Matchmaking. A wonderful way to waste your time.

What about her? Despite her flirtatious attitude with boys, Ino had tried dating somebody only once before. And that had turned out to be a disaster.

She'd tried dating Kiba during freshman year. They lasted for around 6 months (without any bedroom activities.) before he decided to cheat on her with his current girlfriend Tamaki. Clearly, he was not the one for her. Maybe that's why she wasn't so upset with him dumping her. Sure, she'd cried but it hadn't hurt as much as she'd expected I too.

She thought she knew what love felt like then, but as always, she was wrong. Liking somebody, hugging them, kissing them, and telling them you love them was surely not what love was.

Not at least the kind of love 'he' had told her about.  
Love, 'he' told could only be felt. Not seen. She never felt it with that mutt.  
He just used her.

Carried away in her thoughts, her gaze absentmindedly settled upon a patch green, just behind the mixed-dorms- where she was headed. A quick shower and some dinner would patch her up.

That isolated patch in the corner of the campus. It felt familiar. But how? She had never been there before.  
Her nose scrunched upwards, as the sickening smell alcohol caught her nose. Underage drinking was no surprise. Despite being 21 herself, Ino had gotten drunk only on 20 occasions. A really good record as per Sakura. All after the age of 18 mind you. A bit underage, though. The first time she tasted beer, was…...well, not so good. She was at a party thrown by some of the seniors and Temari had invited her and all the girls along. The party had started out on a fairly good note, with only a few drunk people. But things soon escalated.

One shitty thing led to another and she found herself in the morning, sleeping next to some shirtless dude (thank god she was clothed and untouched) on a couch and a shoe filled with puke in front of her face.

She lived. But the rest of the girls; they were fazed. Temari even dragged Hinata into this, despite knowing that Hinata hated the very smell of liquor. The poor girl was out sick for three whole days.

She could live through another year of this. But what then? Was she going to take up internship somewhere? She shook her head and got rid of these thoughts. No use thinking so far ahead.

So, instead she turned her head around and gazed at the campus, her feet subconsciously picking up pace. Night-time out here all alone in this part of the campus was highly unsafe. The dining area despite being the most crowded, had many dark corners here and there. Perfect for some people to use to their advantage.

She didn't even have her phone on. She'd forgotten it at the dorm that afternoon before practice. Anyways, she wasn't one to be afraid of such things. Despite being a quite frequent target, it wasn't like her to worry about such stupid things.

She had already passed the dining hall, where students were piling up to eat the Sunday 'turkey special'. The ground around the hall littered with people. None of the people she knew were there tough. They came to eat dinner at eight Another hour from now.

The night, was beginning to grow colder with every passing second. The wind was howling now and the leaves on the nearby trees were rustling. She would never admit but somehow, the howling of the wind always sent shivers down her spine. This was cause she knew, that a storm was coming.

A pretty big one.

"Hey there pretty girl! Going somewhere? Want to take 'a trip' with me instead?" A chorus of laughter could be heard coming from her right. She turned her head, to catch a glimpse of her 'admirers', only to find the campus D-bags – The Abumi gang there.

Oh, great. She really did not have time to waste on them. Her biceps were killing her. Apparently jerking around her pom-poms for two hours straight, did not agree with them.

Also, she knew what these drunk-guys wanted. They were never going to get it.

Picking up her pace she ignored them and continued walking quickly. The lights around the campus were now shining brightly. The path towards the dorms was lighted up, making it easier to walk on, instead of having to worry about whose foot or what you were stepping on. That used to be the case till last year.

The lights in this end of the campus, had only be repaired recently, despite the main dining area being here. The principal's excuse being that students should learn to use their night-vision in case of survival situations. Lame. He was just too busy reading his 'porn' to notice it.

The dorm was barely 200 metres from here. The mixed-dorm was ordinary. A dull- grey and brown brick building around 30 years old, surrounded by a tiny garden- for recreational purposes- and a tiny koi pond.

The mixed- dorm buildings were different from the girls' and boys' dorms. For starters, they had three bedrooms and the lease was cheaper than in those dorms. But of course, most of the people did not prefer it. They were for either those people who were broke, could live with the opposite sex, or had been unable to find vacancy in the other dorms.

Ino had gone in for the second option. Staying with her brothers was easy. Staying with the girls, not so easy. Shika and Cho would just mind their business and let her mind her own- unless of course, it was important. If that happened Shikamaru would demand that she let them know. Which she would. The girls on the other hand would bug her about every single thing.

"Did you listen to me, hotshot? You know how lucky you are for me to be asking you this? Juz comezz on alreadish…".

They're slurred words were beginning to annoy her. Nothing new. She walked on. Just another 150 metres more. The light from the street lamps was slowly beginning to dull as she approached the dark bend toward the dorm.  
She picked up her pace and slowly broke out into a slow jog. Those guys were still following her.

Shit. She had to run.

Suddenly a hand shot out, and caught a tight hold of her wrist.

She struggled to pull the hand away but was met with a kick in her gut instead. Wincing in pain, she regained her composure and sent a flying punch towards one of the silhouettes she could make out in the dim light.

Her punch was blocked, much to her shock. How were they able to see her when she couldn't see them? Maybe they really had worked on developing their night vision. After all, they were frequent visitors to these parts. Usually for the same reasons as today.

Or maybe, drunk assholes just fight well.

The fist that caught her punch, tightened its hold on her skin, the nails digging into her skin. She could feel the warm blood oozing out of her freshly broken skin. She winced in pain. Now her hand, gut and biceps were killing her.

But not as fast as them. She brought her other hand down on her captor's hand, catching him unawares. Finding her footing, she turned around before they tried something else. The night was completely silent. Not even the slightest rustle of leaves could be heard now. She tried looking around for people, but not a soul anywhere in radius. She squinted to see the dimly lit path in front of her leading to a safe place hopefully. Right now, she was contemplating on whether to run to the dining hall or to the anyways empty dorm. No time.

The dorm was just another 100 metres from here. If she could move fast, she could get away in time and reach it. She took a step forward, but suddenly two big silhouettes came into her line of vision. Too late.

The two guys made their way towards her. She turned around - maybe the dining area was not a bad idea- only to be caught by the same hands that held her before. This time, though she could really see no opening.

The next thing she knew was that she was pulled towards somebody. Her back slammed something hard and cold. The asshole's chest. His hold on her was strong. She hated to admit it but these dudes were tough.

She struggled to free herself, but the two guys along with Zaku were already pinning her arms behind his back. Shit! Gritting her teeth, she muttered, "You think you've won? No way."

Who was she kidding, she knew they had. Unlike her, they'd smartly aimed at going for her limbs. A person that can't move is as good as dead. At least right now they are.

"Oh, really now? You think that it's nice to treat your lover like this?"

What was he talking about? Did he even know what love was? No of course he didn't. To him it was just banging, and sexually harassing girls.

She bit his hand, in an attempt to loosen his hold on her but he just winced in pain instead of moving his hand away.

"You think you can take us on? How can you? Any more bright ideas? I must admit you're my toughest one yet."

She was not going to settle for this. He was right, though.

She knew that it would be foolish to take on three drunk guys, all bigger and taller than her. Even if she did beat them, she could end up being the one in trouble. That was if she could beat three big guys up all on her own. Highly unlikely.

Ino had gone to self-defence classes when she was 15. She knew that her punches could be quite painful (as per Shikamaru). How was saying that going to help her now?

"You tried running away from me?" He was now holding her by the hip, her arms still pinned behind his back by those two morons. She tried to make some noise but nothing came out. Her arms were burning in pain. She knew she had to get away somehow. But how?

How the hell did this happen so suddenly? She knew she should have called Shikamaru or somebody, to walk her back, especially at this time. But having woken up from a deep slumber, and not being able to think straight, she decided to be brave and walk back to this desolate part of the campus on his own.

Stupid move. But why was she unable to do anything about this? Was this all she could've done? Was she just going to let them have their way?

A shiver ran down her spine. Her vision was slowly starting to get blurred and her chest was getting heavy. A familiar feeling loomed over her.

Fear. She was scared. Scared and oh so, helpless.

They dragged her a few metres and pushed her up against a wall. The intent clear on their faces. They were drunk and dangerous.

 _Do something, anything. This has got to stop._

She tried stepping on his foot, but he quickly put his foot out of the way and tightened his grip on her waist. His head was now inclined towards her, face only inches away. Fuck. She just wanted to punch him so badly, but her arms were still held back by those two. Her legs now weak and her left shin bleeding from the hit it took earlier.

If there was one word to describe her situation, it would be pathetic.

Nothing has changed since _then_. Helpless then, and helpless now.

Zaku gripped her shoulder and started slipping her shirt off her bruised arm. She struggled. But they wouldn't budge. His other hand began to wander underneath the hem of her shirt, icy-cold fingers now gripping her smooth naked waist.

The same waist she liked to show off every now and then through her crop tops.

 _No. No._

"You better moan, ya know. Think about the time you rejected me, over that guy. You broke me, girl. Not that you'd care huh?"

Rejected? Sure, Ino had rejected a lot of guys over the years. But did you really need to go this far to extract revenge for that? Can't you just move on or something?

Through gritted teeth she replied again, "So freaking pathetic. Dragging you stupid friends along to sexually harass someone just because they said 'no'." Her neck was starting to hurt now. His grip on her waist tightened, as his nails began to dig into her skin.

"Actually, I hired them. A four-month contract. My father let me. And don't flatter yourself beauty, you're my fifth prey in two months. I like to keep it slow you see. Now shut up. Oh, and just so you know, I'm not drunk."

Saying this he looked away from her gaze, bent his head and began to lick her neck, as she fought from his grip. Looks like he worked out though, his grip was solid.

Hiring people on your rich father's money and then pretending to be drunk to harass women. How low could you be?

This was going to it. On a cold, dark and stormy April night, Yamanaka Ino was going to be stripped of her dignity. Pathetic. She bit her lip and closed her eyes; listening to the laughter of the two men holding her.

She was going to face it head on. No screaming, and no begging. She was sick of doing that.

His tongue was now carefully making its way down the side of her neck. It was disgusting and cold. Enough said.

'crack' 'crack'.

Her eyes shot open when she heard that. No mistaking it, it was the sound of a branch cracking under someone's feet. Her florist blood knew that sound when it heard one.  
Apparently, her attackers were aware of it too.

Zaku stopped in his attempt at removing her shirt. He slowly lifted his head up, and stared into the forested area on his right.

Ino's eyes widened as she stared off into the 'wilderness'. Maybe it was a security guard doing his rounds. But why would he be there in the overgrown forested area in this end of the campus? Nobody ever came there. Most of FLU's population was concentrated towards the North and East wings. The South was by far the least populated place. There were no libraries or resource centres here either. The only sign of life in the nearest 500 metres were the mixed dorms and the dining hall.

Who could possibly be there at 8 in the night?

But you could never be too careful. These guys obviously knew what was stake here after all.

Seconds passed. Nobody moved a muscle. The two guys had now loosened their grip on Ino's hands and were taking up a defensive stance. Zaku had moved away from her, all his attention now focused on the darkness up ahead. She was now sweating. Her platinum- blonde hair stuck to the nape of her sore neck, drenched in sweat. She opened her eyes and let them adjust to the darkness enveloping her. Not much of a sight. She turned her head to see what was getting their attention.

Then she saw it. A beam of light was slowly making its way in their direction. Steady footsteps could be heard too, probably those of a man. Good. But he was too slow and Zaku was way ahead of him.

"Shit! I thought there'd be no guards on duty tonight. I told you to check on it, didn't I Jirobo?" He spat at the plump man's foot.

"I thought so myself, Sir." The big guy was clearly confused.

"What about the girl now, Sir?" a third voice chimed in, belonging to a tall man with dark brown hair. If he wasn't evil, Ino might've stated that he was pretty good-looking. But he was evil, so no.

"Shut it Aoi. This bitch owes me a lot. You don't just fucking reject Abumi Zaku and expect to get away. I am not going to leave her. She almost broke your nose, didn't she? You really want to let her get away?" Zaku harshly whispered the words to his man. The blabbering continued.

This was her chance. They were busy deciding what to do with her but she was already done deciding.

 _Now or never, Ino._

With that, she took a deep breath and risking it all screamed at the top of her lungs, "Hey! Over here! Help me! Help!

 _That should do it, hopefully._

The footsteps were now getting faster. So, he had heard her after all. Just a few more seconds and she might get some help.

"You little bitch, how dare you!" Zaku was now moving towards her, Anger written all over his features. She now had an opening.

The two men had let her go some time ago, in order to knock some sense into their employer, so she was free for now. Time to get a move on.

Rubbing her bruised wrists, she quickly ducked and avoided Zaku's sloppy punch. Pre-schoolers could hit better. She then proceeded to use her agility to her advantage and landed a swift kick onto his groin. Zaku winced in pain and fell down onto his knees.

"You! Get her! Kill her, for all I care!" He screamed as he directed his men towards her. Kill her? Since when had things escalated this far? His men were apparently just as confused as her.  
Their employer had some major anger issues.

'Killing somebody wasn't mentioned in the contract we signed, Sir." The plump one, called Jirobo spoke.

"Yes, it only mentioned- causing major or minor injuries, as per the situation- if I recall." The other one chimed in.

"Idiots! Then cause her some major injuries" Zaku was now attempting to get up. But he fell down in pain as he tried. Just how weak was he? It wasn't even as hard as she wanted it to be.

"That's just as good as killing her. Stupid asshole." She heard the taller one mutter under his breath.  
At least her attackers agreed on something- Zaku being a stupid asshole.

On command, the two men began closing in on her. She couldn't take them on her own. That was suicide. She quickly turned on her heels and decided to make a dash to the dorms. The path lay right in front of her.

Suddenly, something hit her own the cheek. Her eyes widened. She managed not to fall onto the ground, but man that was hard. How did they manage to land a punch on her without her noticing them? She found her footing and somehow managed to avoid the other punch thrown from the other side.

She threw a punch and manage to hit one. It only shook him though.  
The darkness was beginning to get in her way. Her fighting style was solely dependent on light. If she couldn't see, she couldn't fight.

These people were pros. She had to get away from them. Her thoughts were cut when she felt a leg hit her in the abdomen. She fell flat onto the ground a few feet away.

Damn! She couldn't even move now. That kick had sent her flying with more force than she had imagined. Who knew, that stupid asshole could kick that hard? Maybe she was just fatigued. She shook her head and sat up. Quite enough, she had landed in an awkward position. She had landed sideways onto the slightly wet mud.

The right side of her cheek seemed to have swollen up due to the impact and she could taste the metallic flavour of blood in her mouth. Great. Now her beautiful face was gone too. Could things get any better? And it seemed that she had landed on her left arm which was now broken.

She coughed up blood and stood up. She was a mess right now. Bruised all over, fighting for her life. A fight she was in danger of losing without any aid. Her vision was blurred and her nose was hurting terribly. Not as badly as her now limp, left hand. She just hoped that she hadn't broken her nose.

She could bear this much pain. Her endurance and stamina have always been her strength. As far as she knew, she had been through worse. Fights were common in _those_ days. She would usually tire her enemy first, by making them chase he around, and when they time was right she'd knock them out.

But this was something else.

"Look at you now. All broken up. I can't enjoy you now, so I might as well get rid of you or you might tell on me. Normally I drug the girls so they don't remember anything but you are so annoying, it's a waste" Zaku came into her field of vision. He was still clean, with only a few bruises here and there.

"Coward", she spat out he blood that had collected in her mouth. She flung her bang aside and pushed it behind her year.

"Say what you want." He turned around to his men- at least where he expected them to be. They weren't there though. Funny she hadn't heard or seen them for some time now.

"Finish her and let's….", he didn't get to finish his sentence as a fist collided with his face. A few seconds later he was out cold. Ino looked up to see the owner of such a fine right hook. She was met with a pair of dark-coal eyes once hidden by glasses that were now cracked and being discarded onto the ground. Dark bangs falling onto his pale face. A torchlight held firmly in his long hands. Familiar.

She knew him. She bet she did.

A person's eyes can speak more than words alone.

 _ **A/N: The next chapter has been updated too. I hate to keep myself waiting. Please give me reviews. If you don't I might lose it. And pardon me if there are a few errors here and there. I didn't get time to proof-read.**_


	4. Filtered Tension

" _ **A flower field lies in front of us,  
Blooming with our own.  
When the time is right, you shall see  
A sight that shall fill you with glee."**_

When she was young, her mother used to tell her about 'tenshins' or in other words angels. She would tell her stories of lost souls, parched of love whom the tenshin would rescue. But some tenshin she'd learn later on, were the ones who needed rescuing. After all, like the say there's more to the person than meets the eye.  
Certainly. There was more to this Tenshin than met the eye. Literally.  
For starters, he had one heck of a right hook. 

"Shall we go? I just knocked the other two out for some time, but they'll be up soon. We need to move fast." He spoke as he stepped onto his glasses and crushed them.

That voice. It…it suited him. Deep and calm. Just like his eyes. She could get lost in them. And did he just knock those guys out on his own? Skilled and Calm, was he an angel? She should talk to him later. Maybe even ask him out or something.  
 _Snap out of it. You're almost dying and you're thinking about your saviour's eyes?"_

Wincing in pain she dragged herself up to the man and replied "Yeah. Thanks for listening by the way. That way to the mixed dorms." She pointed in the direction of the dorm building. He nodded.

She looked up to see his face. Close-by she could notice the fine details of his flawless face, drenched in water but ever so handsome. Over the duration of the assault the drizzle had increased in size to a massive downpour. Clouds thundering overhead.

For the first time that night, he met her eyes, and her world spun. Those eyes were different up close. They were still deep and calm but somehow…lifeless. His expression was stoic -lips pursed into a thin line. He held her gaze for a few seconds and then scanned her from top to bottom. Despite the current situation, she felt heat rushing to her face. Great again. Now she was cold and warm at the same time.

 _What have I ever done to be looked at by this tenshin?_

As if on cue, his eyes widened and his kissable lips(seriously!) parted ever so slightly. She raised an eyebrow at him Just how bad did she look? Sure, she was bruised all over, with busted lips, bleeding shins, a broken arm and had some cuts here and there. Sure, she was wincing in pain with every step and was barely able to stand. But was it enough to scare a guy like him?  
"I take it that your left arm is broken too. I'd love to talk What have they done to you…. Ino?" He spoke the last line with some anger and guilt. Why should he be guilty? Moreover, how could he make her name sound so…...angelic?

Wait. How did he know her name? She took a step away from him and looked him in the eyes. Her eyes widened in shock. She knew him.

"Sai." The name escaped her lips as a loud whisper. Loud enough for him to hear.

Was he really the same guy with glasses-too-big-for-his-pretty-face that she'd met on the first day of freshman year? The same wonderful artist who was also an exceptional soccer player? (She'd always noticed his skills with the ball from afar. She'd dare say that he was one of the best on the squad.) She'd met him a couple of times after that – after all he was Sakura and Naruto's roommate – but she'd never really noticed him over these three years. He always kept himself secluded from the rest of them. Maybe he really wanted to be left alone.

 _I was such a freaking fool. Correction- I am still such a freaking fool._

"Yeah. No time for that now. We've got to hurry up. You can run, can't you? Or do I have to carry you?" God! Since when was his voice so, pleasing.

"I can manage. I can't guarantee my pace though. Carrying me would be hard." She replied. A tiny smile crept onto her busted lips despite the situation

He nodded. "It won't be that hard.", she heard him mutter to himself.

Maybe they could try that later. But now really wasn't the time. He would carry her though. Sure of it.

She straightened her back and ran along with Sai towards the building. The pain she felt all over her body was killing. But she had to go on. All this while Sai's hand was locked around her right hand's wrist, protectively mind you, not the same way those people had held her. Whenever she seemed to slow down, he would clutch her wrist tighter; somehow urging her to keep her pace up.

The dorm building was now in sight. It was so close. But so were the people following them. Both of them had been aware that they were being followed the minute they'd started running.

Lightning crackled overhead and for a second revealed the position of the two other men. They'd slowly caught up to them. Much to her disappointment they were quite close by. Right at her side actually.

"Shit." She whispered to herself. Sensing a punch coming her way from the left, she ducked in time and so did Sai. First time sensing a punch without seeing it- check. Without waiting for another surprise, they quickly began to run again. The door to the dorms was only 70 metres away now.

"Why don't they leave us alone? Isn't their boss knocked out?" Sai enquired, running alongside a half-dead Ino.

"He told them to get rid of me." She replied out of breath. Her body was growing stiffer with every passing second. Her wet hair stuck to her face and eyelids drooping in exhaustion.

 _Almost there. Hang in there, girl._

And then, as if on cue Jirobo and the other guy appeared at their sides again. Jirobo on her left and the other guy on Sai's right.

"We would appreciate if you would stop running. We've been told to get rid of you. It will much easier if you would just let us do our jobs. Girls like you are a disgrace to our country." She stopped in her tracks and Sai did too. No point in running now, they were surrounded.

Jirobo and his subordinate stepped out in front of them. Their faces were bruised and swollen-they'd been hit unexpectedly, that was clear-Sai sure was good at launching surprise attacks. Not that it'd help right now.

The clouds roared above them as the rain got heavier. All of Ino's numerous cuts and bruises were now throbbing in pain with every cold droplet that made contact with them. She looked up to the sky- feeling the droplets prick her bruised face. She brought her gaze down to the two men in front of her, and sent them a glare.

Only one option -fight. Get rid of them- for some time at least- and run into the dorms.

But before that, "A disgrace you say. Why? Cause we actually stand up to people like you? Cause we ain't afraid to kick your ass even if we get beat up? If there's anybody who ought to be a disgrace it's you and your pathetic boss over there. You are truly, Sir, a pathetic excuse for a human being." Those words came out even more spitefully than she had planned them to be, but good nonetheless. Jirobo's eyes widened at the statement and it looked like he was about to explode. He sent her a fierce glare, but she didn't faze.

 _Nicely done, gal._  
She didn't miss the tiny smirk Sai gave her either. After this shit was sorted out, she might get to know him a little better.

"You talk a lot, bitch. You might be a tough cookie, but you talk way too much." The bigger guy spat those words out at her, and then sent a kick flying towards her.

She easily dodged the kick and sent a punch in the brunette's direction. It hit its mark on his jawbone. But it hit her too. The trajectory of the punch had been a little off mark and as a result, a lot of the shock from it had gone to her broken hand- now burning uncontrollably.

Jirobo had already engaged Sai, and was trying to keep him away from her. Sai turned towards her and she gave him a tiny thumbs up. She was not going down that easily.

Stepping back-slightly fazed by what had happened- he found his footing and decided to counter her rather surprising right hook with his own. Little did he know, that the 'girl 'was quick on her feet despite being injured.

The blow meant for her jaw, whizzed past in a blur of knuckles. And from the corner of his eyes he saw his opponent's fists begin an upward trajectory. As if aiming at the same spot was going to help. He quickly dodged the punch and as her arm went swooping by, caught a hold of her wrist. He swung her towards himself- her back facing him and wrapped his hands tightly around her already bruised waist.  
She winced in pain. Her broken hand had been caught within his tight hold. And she though an hour ago that her biceps were bad enough. He enjoyed the sight. A humourless chuckle escaping him.

"Got you now, Miss flashy moves." Was it just her or did that big lump of muscle just say something?

Seemingly unbothered by the sudden contact she shifted around in his hold; trying to adjust herself. He smirked darkly. After all, all you can do now is adjust yourself., shift into a comfortable position before being crushed like a toothpick. "Is that all you've…"

The sentence was left unfinished, as she bit down on his hand. He yelped in pain and almost immediately let go of her. She pushed herself away from him and taking advantage of his open stance, shifted her weight onto her left leg and with all the force she could muster, aimed a kick towards his ribs. She missed. Of all the times, now.

Instead of delivering a stinging jolt to the ribs, the kick just lightly grazed his hips. Shit, he had managed to avoid it in time. Avoiding the kick, he took a step towards her and sent a flying uppercut in her direction. The clack of knuckles against her jaw seemed to echo through the dark and stormy night. For a second the world seemed to function in slow motion before reverting back into its fast-paced brutal reality.

She heard Sai calling her name, then nothing. Her world went blank.

The stinging pain began to spread all over her. She had nothing left in her reserves now. She was running on empty. The world seemed to be telling to het to forget about them, to fall asleep. Just let it be. She finally gave in.

" _Darling! It's your first day, you don't want to be late now, do you my cosmos?"  
"Yeah. I 'm coming."  
"Good luck now. I've packed your favourite for lunch today. Don't tell your mother though. She hates it when I do that."  
"I know. She'll be back soon anyway. I gotta go now. The bus leaves in like five minutes. See ya!"  
"Wait! You forgot to do 'it'."  
"Jeez, I'm 15 already, cut it out already."  
"No way, young lady. It's Yamanaka tradition. A 'family thing', if put bluntly."  
"Ok I'm with you. Go on."  
"A flower field lies in front of us,  
Blooming with our own.  
When the time is right, you shall see  
A sight that shall fill you with glee.  
But remember, patience is the key.  
When the Sun stares hard,  
And the rain falls down  
Do not look upon the buds with a frown.  
For when the time is right, with hurdles crossed,  
The bud shall bloom at any cost._

 _So, give it time now, sweetie. When the time is right, the cosmos shall rise."  
_

Her eyes shot open. What would _he_ say if _he_ saw her like this? Was she going to step down? Was the bud going to die before it even got a chance to bloom? God, this sounded like a cliché movie scene right now. Who cares.

Her eyes opened to see wet mud in front of her. It had stopped raining now. She lay there for a few more seconds before deciding to get up.  
 _Bad move.  
_ A searing pain went down her jaw. She let out a tiny yelp – the pain was getting too much to bear. Her hips were sore too. She let out a strangled sigh

Mustering up, the little will she had in herself, she forced herself to get back on her feet. Turning around she saw the scene in front of her- Sai had knocked out one guy but was struggling with the other.  
 _He's pretty good._ She thought to herself. His movements were fluid and consistent. He could handle this on his own. So, she could just go back to sleep now, right?

 _Idiot! Snap out of it. Now's your chance to run to the dorm and bring help. But, how can I just leave him here?_ She pinched the bridge of her nose, in an attempt to reduce the banging in her head. She looked up to see Sai again. He ducked a sloppy punch, went straight underneath the guy landed a swift uppercut on his jaw. The guy backed away. But either Sai was out of strength or that guy was made out of steel, because that seemingly strong punch didn't affect him at all.

 _Yup. He's good._

It was over in a flash. A set of knuckles caught Sai unawares and knocked him flat onto the ground.  
"Oh shit! Sai get up." She screamed at the top of her lungs- grabbing the guy's attention. He just stared at her with wide-eyes. She limped over to Sai.  
He was broken. Literally broke. At least bruised.

His lip was busted, his eye was bruised and so was his face. A long cut ran across his forearm, as if somebody had pierced his skin with a stick. Maybe. He was bruised and cut all over. He stood up shakily and his gaze met hers. His eyes said everything. Everything she needed to know at least.

She'd been out for too long.

All this while Jirobo just stared at them and laughed his heart out.

"Good. You're okay. Go Ino. I'll handle it." He sighed in relief and let his head turn to meet the brunette's face. His expression stiffened. He moved forward but was stopped by the soft but gentle hand resting on his right shoulder. He turned to face Ino.  
"I'll take care of this. I owe you anyway." Her answer came through gritted teeth. Somehow, he knew what she meant. She wasn't going to no for an answer. He turned around and met her gaze instead.

His eyes widened at what he saw.  
He stepped back. This ended now. With her. The queen was going to end it. He knew that.

"Oh! Look who's awake! Sleep well beauty? Sorry but I'm going to get rid of you now. I had immense fun with you and your saviour there though." With that he stepped forward, cracking his knuckles.

Ino glared. "Firstly, nobody's allowed to call me that. Secondly, he's not my saviour…."  
Sai didn't know why but his chest hurt a bit when she said that. Maybe he'd been hit too hard.  
"…...he's way more than that."  
What?

He started to laugh. "Last words, should be chosen more carefully."  
She moved forward. Her face hidden by the bangs covering the darkened look on her face.

He was so dead. Sai smirked to himself.

She moved forward and punched him square in the face in all his glory. He fell flat on the ground. Out cold.

Things had never been simpler.

She turned around and smiled warily to him. Bright blue eyes reflecting the light of the moon. Another second. 'Thud' The warrior collapsed. She did it, didn't she? Surprisingly, she didn't collapse onto the wet ground but onto warm and comfy…. whatever it was. Too tired to think.

Broken but alive.

The last thing she heard was the voice of an angel. A cold but sweet melody to numb ears.

"You did it beauty. Like I've always watched you do."

She wanted to meet the owner of that voice someday. She felt her feet leave the ground.

She liked the way he called her 'beauty'.  
It made her feel….complete.


End file.
